Danger lurks here! When I took this photo on a walk through the woods, I saw only a nice collection of wild violets. It wasn’t until I viewed this image on my computer that I noticed the tiny crab spider hiding in the bloom on the left.

Crab spiders don’t make webs. They hide, often in flowers, waiting for unsuspecting insects to be drawn by the flower’s nectar or pollen.

I’ve posted photos of crab spiders before – even with a short video of one trying grab lunch – that can be viewed HERE.

This is kind of a beauty-and-the-beast image. The Dianthus flowers in our yard caught my eye. As I moved in to take the shot, the little crab spider made himself known. I didn’t see him until I was right on top of him. I backed off…then moved in…then backed off…then moved in. When I moved in, he would take an aggressive stance. When I backed off, he would relax. Whatever his strategy was, it must have worked well since, judging by the girth of his tiny frame, I’d say he hadn’t missed any meals.

This photo was taken several years ago with my old Kodak camera. A little “vintage” Pops Digital for you.

While photographing wildflowers I noticed yellow spiders hiding among the foliage. I believe they are in the crab spider family. They seemed to be waiting for prey to come by. That was, in fact, the case. (See some of my previous posts.)

I’d been photographing these yellow spiders on purple thistles. Then I noticed a similar spider on a yellow flower. While I was taking his picture, a soldier beetle landed on the flower. I wondered what would happen.

After taking a few photos, I decided to switch to taking video. I remembered nature films I’d seen where an alligator snatches an unsuspecting antelope that stopped for a drink. I thought this, on a decidedly smaller scale, might provide the same kind of drama.

I only got a short, six seconds of video. It looked like the solider beetle bumped into the spider and then flew off. Not too dramatic. However, when I slowed the video down, it turns out it was a much closer call than I originally thought.

Watch the video below and pay particular attention to the slow motion footage. When slowed down, you can see the spider actually grabs the leg of the soldier beetle in its jaws. The beetle is able to pull away before the spider can get a better hold. The best way to view it is to click the full-screen icon in the lower right corner of the video box.